The Chairman of Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, Hajji AbdulRasheed Yusuf, has disclosed that contrary to widespread belief, Fulani residents constitute the overwhelming majority of kidnap victims in the Southern part of the state.
Speaking during a security briefing, Yusuf revealed that intelligence gathered by security agencies showed that more than 98 per cent of kidnapped victims in Kwara South were Fulani, not Yorubas as generally assumed. He lamented that public perception had unfairly shifted suspicion towards Yoruba communities while the actual victims were predominantly Fulani herders and traders.
According to him, “Security reports available to us indicate that those mostly abducted are Fulani. Sadly, the narrative in public circles is often misleading, suggesting otherwise. We must set the record straight to avoid unnecessary ethnic tension.”
Yusuf further disclosed that investigations revealed that criminal informants were using cattle markets at night to pass sensitive information to kidnappers. This discovery initially led to a joint decision by the seven council chairmen in Kwara South to shut down all cattle markets in the zone. However, following consultations with stakeholders, the markets were later reopened under strict monitoring, with trading hours now restricted to between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
The council chairman also outlined fresh measures to combat insecurity in the region, including the recruitment and training of forest guards, distribution of motorcycles to security outfits, and provision of bulletproof vests and other security gadgets. Traditional rulers have also been tasked with issuing identity cards and official plate numbers to ease the tracking of non-indigenes within their domains.
Yusuf attributed the rising cases of abductions to poor road infrastructure, stressing that kidnappers exploit bad roads to trap unsuspecting travelers. He called for urgent intervention to rehabilitate major routes in Kwara South to stem the tide of criminality.
His revelation comes amid renewed calls by Fulani communities in Kwara State for greater protection, insisting they too have become prime targets of kidnappers despite being frequently blamed for insecurity across Nigeria.